Viral hepatitis can cause infection and inflammation that are often harmful to liver cells. There are a number of known hepatitis viruses, ranging from hepatitis A virus to hepatitis G virus. For some types of hepatitis, liver function may be significantly impaired to the point where a liver transplant may become necessary. In other hepatitis cases, cancer of the liver may result.
Currently, individuals with elevated or abnormal blood test markers for hepatitis may be associated with higher mortality and may be assigned a less than favorable risk classification. In evaluating individuals, life insurance underwriters and sales case analysts often encounter sets of physical characteristics (e.g. age), laboratory blood tests, and possibly other characteristics that, as a whole, are difficult to base a hepatitis risk assessment upon. Due to the highly technical aspect of these tests and associated mortality assumptions, these questions are often referred to the life insurance company's medical director (Medical Director). The term “Medical Director” as used herein means a physician or other person having relatively more medical expertise than an underwriter or sales case analyst. The Medical Director must then review the application file and make a final determination on the risk class. This may delay processing time by several days and increase demand on the Medical Director's time. If the Medical Director is not consulted on such applications and or the member applicant not properly advised, this may result in a customer paying either excessive rates or declining coverage, or in the company providing insurance to applicants with unreasonably high mortality risk, causing unnecessary financial loss.
Thus, systems and methods are needed that address the shortcomings of the prior art.